1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to equipment and tools used by painters, tradesmen, homeowners, and various other individuals. More specifically, this invention relates to a device for mixing substances and fluid, and a method for transporting and blending solid, powdery and/or liquid substances, such as coloring substances, into fluid.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
A severe problem in the world today is the introduction of hazardous chemicals into the environment especially disposed chemicals. In the case of painting, the user estimates quantity and buys material in excess of the estimated quantity to complete the job. This to insure sufficient quantity so as not to run short, an extremely detrimental part of painting because of work stoppages and the risk of receiving non matching paint from a different batch. From the users estimate of material for wall and trim primer and wall and trim top coat(s) on the overall job, the waste is normally 1-3 gallons or more on smaller jobs with few colors, 5 to 15 gallons or more on larger new construction jobs, a substantial quantity of extra paint. The store can accept returns of unused, unmixed paint, since the paint store commonly handles and supplies the coloring substances; the paint is premixed at the time of purchase. The purchaser cannot return the unused premixed paint with the excess being improperly disposed onto job sites or landfills. The device and method of the present invention utilizes a portable mixing device that holds coloring substances to be mixed into a container. The user only mixes what is needed, allowing the remaining unmixed paint to be returned for refund. This method would greatly reduce or eliminate the introduction of hazardous chemicals into the eco system, and reduce consumer costs.
The mixing and blending of viscous fluids has historically been an arduous task. Present methods of mixing and blending such fluids often result in inadequate mixing and blending and are time and energy consumptive. Probably the most common method of mixing fluid or delicately mixing specialty fluids involves the user opening the container, inserting a stick or rod and stirring the liquids within the container. This method is tiring, requiring tremendous effort to move the stir stick through the viscous fluid. The effort is rendered useless in heavy bodied solidified fluids such as gels. Due to the effort required, individuals often concede, stopping long before the fluid is adequately mixed. Furthermore, if the individual continues stirring for a long period of time, there is no guarantee that the fluid will be thoroughly mixed. Using the device of the present invention, the user simply positions the device into a container of fluid, connecting the free end of a shaft of the device to the rotary drive means, such as a drill, and rotating the mixing device within the fluid. The objective of the present invention is to offer a more versatile means of mixing a variety of fluids efficiently without the tremendous effort associated with hand blending. The result is a consistent, uniform effect and a faster energy saving method. This is important to reduce the total time necessary for a particular session to thoroughly mix the fluid for a well-blended uniform product. To address specialty fluids, the present invention's prop is detachable to accommodate delicate mixing preventing shearing, slamming or break down of suspended solids such as metallic flecks or chips. Propeller detachment will prevent the destabilization of delicate fluids and adverse changes to the material properties. The prop is intended to accommodate heavier bodied fluids helping to propel fluid through the device and circulate fluid in the container achieving the desired consistency. The device of the present invention provides a well-blended product, producing uniformity in a wide range of fluids with speed and precision.
Several devices have been developed for mixing paint which feature drive shafts for connection to drills. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,941 to Wayte discloses a mixing device that comprises a circular disc having vanes connected thereto. The apparatus is rotated by connecting a drill to a shaft which is connected to the device. This device suffers from at least two shortcomings. First, the limited number of vanes does not provide for thorough mixing. Second, because the bottom disc is contiguous, no fluid is drawn through the device from the bottom. In most instances it is often critical that fluid from the bottom of the container be drawn upward when mixing viscous fluids, since this is where the heaviest of the fluids separate prior to mixing. The present invention addresses these problems by providing a device that draws fluid from the bottom with the option of drawing fluid from the top in different combinations to give more versatility in a greater range of fluids thus, producing a thorough mixing and a consistent uniform product, so critical to effective color matching.
Another method of mixing paint comprises shaking the paint in a closed container. This can be done by hand or by expensive motor-driven shaker. In either instance, the mixing is time consuming and often in complete. Because the shaking occurs with the container closed, little air space is available within the container for the fluid to move about. Therefore, the shaking often tends to move the fluid very little within the container with the result being ineffective mixing. The greatest drawback with motor-driven shakers is producing consistent uniformity, since the substances within the container seldom blend properly. If the paint store's employee does not leave the container on the motor-driven shaker long enough (as often happens due to time restraints of customer service), the incomplete mixing results in a poor color match. As the user empties a shaken container and scrapes it clean there will be undisbursed pigment and un-tinted paint on the sides and bottom of the container. The objective of the device of the present invention is to broadcast the substances and fluid evenly as it circulates through the device and container to obtain a more consistent and uniform paint color, eliminating paint shade variations that occur from using a motor-driven shaker.
Commonly, the delivery of paint coloring substance is normally handled by a paint store, not by the consumer. The paint stores are inefficient when it comes to this method. It is not uncommon to have a long wait. Currently when the consumer wants to purchase paint, the consumer places their order with a store employee. The employee goes back into a storage area, retrieves the desired order; lifts and moves the order to a tint machine that holds coloring substances, types in the desired color, opens each gallon or five gallon container and individually injects coloring substances into the container(s). Then, the employee then re-lids and re-lifts the containers and carries them to a motor-driven shaker, if one is not available there is a wait. If the motor-driven shaker is not being used, the employee individually places the container(s) into the available motor-driven shaker, the employee then turns on the motor-driven shaker for 3-7 minutes. The store only has a limited amount of motor-driven shakers because they take up a lot of store space and are very expensive. After the time on the motor-driven shaker has expired, the employee re-lifts the container. For larger orders the employee incorporates a dolly, for smaller orders the employee carries the container(s) to the counter or to the purchaser's vehicle. It is extremely inefficient to keep lifting and re-lifting containers, waiting for an available motor-driven shaker and the time to shake the containers, especially when the person ahead orders 60 gallons. To address these problems the device and the method of the present invention greatly eliminates the over lifting, the wait and the process of an inadequate motor-driven shaker. Basically, the consumer can now place an order, the employee simply injects the coloring substances into the device of the present invention and securely closes the fit cap, goes into the storage area filling the order and brings the order out to the counter to be loaded into the customers vehicle. The store can service more than twice the volume of customers in less than half the time. The advantage to this new method is not only to reduce time of service in the store, but also to allow the consumer to return any unused paint, greatly reducing the disposal of paints into environment. The present invention will service more customers with a lot less lifting and in the case of five-gallon containers that would be highly appreciated. The device and the method of the present invention greatly improve the procedures associated with prior art. The user receives a high quality product, greatly benefiting contractors who make their living from timesavings and product quality. It is an objective of the present invention to better utilize customer wait time and offer another means of delivering coloring substances into a container. This device and method of the present invention improves store efficiency and product uniformity, saving the environment from the disposal of over purchased paints, hazardous chemicals and improves the contractor cost containment.
Many mechanisms have been proposed for mixing these fluids and reducing the manual labor associated with the same. These mechanisms have all suffered from at least one of several shortcomings: users have difficulty in using the device because of its complexity or size, the device inadequately mixes the fluid, and/or users have a difficult time cleaning up the device after using it. Other problems associated with these mixers are the limited method of use and singular options of mixing and blending. None of these mechanisms offer the convenience of being able to transport and deliver substances with the diversity to accommodate a great range of fluids. The device of the present invention is easy to use and clean, the user needing only to submerge and rotate it in a container of cleaning solution or simply detach the prop, rinse clean and let air dry.
From the foregoing, to greatly improve store efficiency, mixing and blending, better product uniformity and a cleaner eco-system, it would be highly desirable to provide a device and method to overcome the problems, difficulties, and limitations associated with prior art.
The above descriptions and examples should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present invention. Many other variations are possible. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is determined by the claims and their legal equivalents.
The foregoing, together with other objects, features, and advantages, will be apparent after referring to the following summary, specifications, and the accompanying drawings.